


Nature's beauty

by QuistanC



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: "Sisters from another mother", M/M, Non-Asshole!Hanzo, Rating May Change, Reckless!McCree, Slow Burn, Supportive Sibling Relationships, spirit dragons
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-21
Updated: 2017-01-28
Packaged: 2018-09-19 01:55:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,091
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9412655
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QuistanC/pseuds/QuistanC
Summary: Life has never been easy for one Jesse McCree. There was always so much violence and after a while, he found life not worth living. Don't get him wrong, he wouldn't bother to commit suicide. He wasn't a coward after all. However, if things got bad, he wouldn't fight to stay alive. Until he met Hanzo Shimada.Meeting a man who struggled with a troubled past just like him and still saw beauty in life, perhaps lead to a change in his way of thinking. And also a change in heart. Too bad that love didn't change the fact that life was never easy for him.





	1. Introduction - Never mess with the doctor

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Thank you for deciding to give this story a try! The plot was invented when my beta-reader (Yes, the story is beta'd) and I came up with sad headcanons and built them on each other. As I am well aware that some things might make you queasy, I'll be adding Warnings at the beginning of the chapter, so please watch out for them and don't just scroll past them.  
> As for updating, I'll try to update weekly (mostly on fridays or saturdays). But please be patient if the update might take a few days longer as I'm close to final exams and therefore need to study as well. Or perhaps that my beta and I didn't manage to discuss the chapter just yet as we are both busy with life. Anyway! Enjoy.

The first thing he noticed when he woke up, was the harsh light of the medical bay. A groan erupted from his throat as he slowly sat up. The second thing he noticed was the clicking of heels in the doctor’s office. Alright, so they did find him before he was able to bleed out. Just as he was about to stand up, did the blond doctor waltz into the nursing room. “Oh, you’re already awake.” Her voice sounded raspy, as if she hasn’t used it in quite some time. McCree nodded lightly, not bothering to answer her in words. His throat felt too dry for that anyway. The doctor simply sighed and pushed him to the edge of the bed and tucked up his shirt. Sometimes, he truly forgot that she was a field medic and not a stationary doctor. McCree grunted at the force that was used upon his tired body, but cooperated with her. He learned the hard way that Angela wasn’t friendly when it comes to taking care of stubborn patients.

“You were careless once again, Jesse. You almost got yourself killed this time.” He simply sighed and rolled his eyes. She should know that he really doesn’t care. And she did know, according to the way she reacted to his silence. The wound on his abdomen was cleaned rather roughly. “Jesse, please stop it. We can get you help, you’re not the first to crumble under the pressu—“

“Help?” As expected, it hurt to speak as he glared down at her. “Angela, you should know that this is not it.” The doctor refused to meet his eyes and continued to focus on cleaning the closed bullet wound and then rewrapping it in a clean bandage. “Jesse, please, I’m just worried.” He continued to glare for a bit before he simply huffed and slowly raised a hand to rest on her shoulder. It wasn’t her fault, so he shouldn’t let out his anger on her. “I know, Angie. I’m sorry, but you ought to keep outta my business." He more felt than saw Angela freeze in her spot. Her once trembling shoulders stilled beneath his large hand. There was a moment of silence between them before his nose was hurting. “Holy shit! “ he was cut off by a curse in a language he was quite certain was German. “Du verdammter Hornochse! Do you have any idea what you are talking about? I know it’s been ten years since we last saw each other, but get it past your thick head that we don’t want to lose you!” Angela started trembling at the end of her rant, her fist clenched and her eyes glassy. Holding his most likely broken nose, McCree stared at her with wide eyes. It seems he has gone too far this time. He opened his mouth to protest, to defend himself, but the single tear running down the doctor’s face stopped him. Slowly, he lowered his hand and refused to meet her gaze. It took Angela another moment to calm down before she continued to treat his wounds – older and new ones. 

After another torturing 30 minutes of silence, she spoke up again. “Winston informed me we are getting new recruits in the next few days. At least try to be nice and introduce yourself to them, okay? I heard Genji is coming back, too.” It was clear to him that he had truly upset her just now as her voice was thick with her accent. His only response was a nod. Once she was done, he was released from the med bay and made a bee-line for his quarter. New recruits? Probably just fools who were told the old stories of Overwatch’s glorious days before things went to hell. Fools who decided playing hero is their thing. A huff escaped him as he grabbed his cigar and went outside to one of the higher platforms. It wasn’t wise to smoke inside the building whenever either Winston or Angela was nearby. Especially after their fight back in the med bay.

McCree truly loved that woman as a sister, but she sure as hell knew how to grind on his last strand of sanity. A pleased sigh escaped his lips as he finally lit his cigar and nicotine filled his lungs. Finally, he was able to enjoy a moment to himself and think about the event that got him a visit to the doctor in the first place. Winston had claimed it was a simply enough task. They were merely trying to get rid off of some thugs claiming the area surrounding their base in Gibraltar as their own. They thought the gang was merely a bunch of bored teenager wanting to break the law for fun. What they hadn’t expected was for the gang to be heavily armed. It has been a simple mistake. One moment lacking attention and he was stabbed into the shoulder and left thigh. McCree was able to knock his attacker unconscious, but in the meantime, the cowboy wasn’t able to react to the bullet aimed at his heart. However, it only hit his abdomen instead of his chest and he was spared death. It took quite some time to clean out the rest of the area and he was already on the verge of unconsciousness before Angela found him. Jesse took another drag of his cigar, slowly exhaling the smoke. A strange sense of calmness washed over him. Maybe he has missed Overwatch, the base, his companions around him.

He took of his hat to run his hand through his hair. However, some wounds simply weren’t healed by time. There were times where he was afraid to close his eyes because he knew black smoke would dance behind his eyelids, taunt him for failing to keep the man he dared to think of as a resemblance of family from giving into insanity. There were times where he woke up screaming and clutching his left elbow because the feeling of having his arm ripped off in an explosion came back rushing at him. There were times where he didn’t dare to open the letters sent to his small apartment in New Mexico because they might contain news about which he feared the most.

Another sigh escaped him, he has been doing that a lot lately, and he stubbed out the remains of his cigar. It was getting late and Angela did mention Genji returning to Overwatch. A ghost of a smile turned up the corner of his lips as he thought about the man. It was fun to be around him. After Genji’s successful surgery, both of them grew close and McCree dared to call the other man his best friend. Of course, all things had to come to an end as the ninja left to find inner peace with his current state of body. Jesse could understand him and didn’t resent him anymore for abandoning him when he might have needed his friend the most. It took him some time himself to get used to his prosthetic arm.

It was half past one in the morning when Jesse finally decided to go to bed. It wouldn’t do him any good to be grouchy later in the morning when the new recruits arrived. Winston and Tracer would only be mad at him for being rude anyway. Finally, he fell asleep.


	2. Arrival

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things get awkward when the new recruits arrive.

His alarm blared at around 7 am the following morning. For once, he was glad that he was actually able to sleep. It has been ages since he was able to sleep without waking up every now and then. Despite feeling somewhat rested, it still took him another 15 minutes to get out of bed. He got out of bed slowly and ready for the day. After a quick shower and a quick trip to the kitchen, he was ready for the day. The trip to the kitchen was short regarding the fact that his quarters were quite close to the main area of their base. Upon arriving in the kitchen, he thanked the gods for the young woman called Tracer. The British woman was already buzzing around in the kitchen, preparing breakfast and coffee for her fellow Overwatch members. “Y’are certainly a sight fer sore eyes right now, Lena.”

Said woman turned around to flash him a grin before putting scrambled eggs and some bacon on a plate for him. “I’m glad you enjoy my effort, love!” Despite not being a morning person, Jesse wasn’t bothered by Lena’s cheery voice in the slightest. After all, he had coffee to get him by. Nodding his thanks, Jesse dug into his breakfast. It was really nice not to have to cook breakfast for once. “Have you heard who is returning during the week?” He glanced in the general direction of her to let her know that he was listening. After all, Jesse knew she didn’t expect him to answer. Especially not with his mouth full. “Mei, Torbjörn, Fareeha and Genji are coming back!” Her face lit up after listing the names of their old friends. He chuckled softly and took a long sip of his scalding coffee. It was nice to have old faces return. “What about the new recruits? Do you know anything about them?” Confusion took over Lena’s face at the mention of new recruits.

“What new recruits? Who told you about them?” Ah… So Angela only told him about it. A hint of a smile graced his lips. She surely tries hard to reach out to him. Maybe he should try to throw her a bone every now and then. It would do their relationship good. “You weren’t told that there are supposed to be new recruits?” A small smirk played at his lips as he sipped at his mug. The young woman just pouted and shook her head. Jesse chuckled softly at her expression. “At least you know now, don’t cha?” Lena shrugged and continued to cook for the rest of their team. After half an hour, Reinhardt stumbled in, greeting them in his usual loud voice. “Guten Morgen, my friends!” Jesse greeted him back in a calmer manner, feeling much better after the caffeine started to kick in. It was nice to be surrounded by people he called allies every now and then. After a while, even the doctor entered the kitchen. However, she didn’t look like she got a lot of sleep last night. She mumbled out a low greeting before half-dropping into the seat next to the cowboy. With a frown, said cowboy stood and poured his sister-figure a cup of coffee which she accepted with a grateful smile.

“And you call me careless, Angie?” Angela grumbled lowly at him and just held onto the coffee for dear life. “I almost had a breakthrough thanks to Winston, yesterday. Do you really expect me to sleep when I’m getting closer to be able to save a whole lot more people?” Jesse frowned at her comment. Of course she wouldn’t care about her own health, but still reprimand him because he took a bullet for a stray civilian. However, he decided against replying. It would do neither of them good to fight right now. The silence was tense for a moment until Lena broke it.

“Hey Angela, how come you told Jesse about the new recruits, but not me?” Even Reinhardt looked up from his breakfast with a confused expression. Ah, so he didn’t know either. Before she spoke, Angela took a long gulp of her coffee. “Well, I was only told yesterday myself and I thought it was nice to make conversation since Jesse was in my office anyway.” She tossed a half-glare at him before she turned her head back to Lena. “I’d have told you, but as I already said, I was busy with my research.” The British woman nodded in understanding and smiled, placing a salad in front of the doctor. When did she do that? Shaking his head, Jesse finished his coffee and placed his cup into the sink, to be washed later. Probably by someone else. Lena grumbled at him for it.

“Well, I’mma head off ta the shooting range until the new recruits arrive. Later!” With a wave to the room, the gunslinger retreated to his room to fetch his beloved Peacekeeper. While he was curious about the new recruits, he was also nervous. As weird as it sounds, but it was always difficult to find new trustworthy allies. Life taught him the hard way after all. When Jesse noticed he was getting lost in old memories, he sighed and shook his head to clear it. It was no use to dwell on the past.

It was almost afternoon when Lena came to the shooting range to fetch him. After quickly making himself presentable again, not that he truly cared, he followed the woman to the main area of their base. It seemed they interrupted a conversation when they entered as the room suddenly fell silent. Just before it was on the verge of being awkward, Genji finally spoke up.

“Jesse! How long has it been?” The first thing Jesse noticed was that the ninja’s accent hasn’t ceased over their time spent apart. He smiled widely, patting the other on his back when he was hugged. It was nice to see familiar faces again. Little Fareeha grew up to be a beautiful woman when he finally did recognize her. “Wow, you surely grew, little one.” The woman half-heartedly glared at him before she broke out into a smile and giving him a hug as well. For a moment, it felt like old times when they were all a big happy family, albeit dysfunctional at times.

The cowboy turned back to the ninja who appeared to be grinning up at him, when the slightly brighter light of his visor was any indication. “I’ve been fine. A little rough every now and then, but I managed.” Genji nodded at his answer before he reached up to flick his head. “That’s why you got a swollen nose?” He could feel Angela’s glare in the back of his neck and cleared his throat. “Yeah well, about that… I might have pissed off our dear doctor.”

The room erupted in laughter and he almost blushed. Almost. “Yea’, Yea’, just keep pokin’ fun at lil’ o’ me.” After a few moments, the room calmed down again and he rolled his eyes. It was common knowledge that you should never mess with Angela. Especially if she gave you orders of the medical kind. While she was against violence in general, there were times when frustration managed to overpower her peaceful nature. After more slightly awkward hugs and ‘Welcome back’s did the new recruit show himself. Jesse was slightly startled when Genji pulled someone from the corner of the room. How did he not see him? He should really work on his awareness. “There are two people I’d like you guys to meet.” The first person introduced was a Shimbali monk who Genji met in Nepal during his journey. While his true name was Tekharta Zenyatta, but the ninja referred to him as “master”. They were told that Zenyatta helped Genji find inner peace and to let go of his anger. He saw the second person flinch and Jesse immediately knew who he was. Genji’s older brother who was responsible for Genji’s predicament. The cowboy frowned and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

“…. And this is my older brother, Hanzo Shimada.” It seemed that his friend had continued to introduce his companions while he was lost in thought. It was obvious that not only Jesse was tense about their friend’s brother being in their base, but after a few moments, Winston took the first step to welcome their new ally. “Welcome to Overwatch, Mr. Shimada. We are pleased to welcome you in our ranks. Your service will be well appreciated. While you were on your way to Gibraltar, your brother was kind enough to send me your documents. You are listed to be a capable archer and a fantastic swordsman.” At the last statement, Genji’s brother visibly tensed and shook his head. “I am honored to be in your service. However, my brother made a mistake when he listed me as a swordsman. I’m merely able to wield a bow.” Jesse saw Genji throw his brother a look and raised an eyebrow. Catching his gaze, his friend shook his head to tell him to leave it be. Now that Winston broke the ice, Angela stepped forward to introduce herself.

“Hello Mr. Shimada. I am Overwatch’s doctor, Dr. Ziegler. If you are in need of medical attention, you may come see me. After Winston showed you your room, please use the map on the tablet you will receive to come to my office as I’m required to give you a medical check-up.” The archer nodded and bowed at the waist. “Greetings, Dr. Ziegler,” he muttered. Every Overwatch member, except for Genji, then proceeded to introduce themselves to their new member. When it was Jesse’s turn, he suppressed the urge to glare at his friend’s murderer. The elder Shimada glanced him, almost expectant.

“The name‘s McCree. I’m Overwatch’s best shot.” He held out his prosthetic hand for the archer to shake. He seemed hesitant, but shook his hand nonetheless instead of bowing at the waist like he have seemed to do with the others. “Greetings, McCree. It is a pleasure to meet you. Genji told me a lot about you.” Raising an eyebrow, the gunslinger looked over at Genji who just shrugged and continued to talk to the doctor and his master. After the introduction was over, Jesse was dragged to the kind of living room to catch up with Fareeha and Angela.

It was nice talking to the two women again he once considered his sisters. They shared a few laughs and dwelled in old memories until it was time for Angela to head back to her office. “Genji’s brother might already be waiting for me. Shame on you for keeping me here.” The cowboy held up his hands in mock defense. “Hey there. It’s not my fault ya kept bringin’ up ol’ memories.” His drawl was getting heavier the more he felt comfortable. Fareeha simply shrugged and agreed with him. Huffing in amusement, the doctor disappeared until it was only him and the Egyptian woman left.

“How have ya been faring? Musta been hard on ya.” Fareeha simply shook her head and stretched out on the couch, exhausted from the journey. “I’m okay, really. I just wish I had something to remember her by.” It was always astonishing how Angela and Fareeha mostly knew what he was referring to. Jesse heaved a sigh as well and was tempted to light a cigar. However, he was aware that it would only cause him more trouble. “I know whatcha mean. I really miss ‘er, too.” He only received a hum as an answer, but he was fine with it. He didn’t expect much anyway. They were silent for a while until the cowboy spoke up again. “Whatcha thinking ‘bout the new recruits?” Turning is head to look at the woman, he was reminded once again about how much time has passed. Fareeha shrugged one shoulder. “I’m not sure what to think about either of them. Zenyatta seems to be kind and sweet. But Hanzo? Well, I’m pretty neutral about him. I’m well aware what he did to Genji, but his brother seemed to have forgiven him. I suppose there is a reason for that, besides them being related.” Jesse nodded in understanding. “What about you?” He didn’t know how to answer just yet. It was difficult to answer. Hanzo killed one of his best friends, turning him into a cyborg and putting him through a lot of mental and physical suffering. He sighed softly and ran a hand through his hair.

“I don’t know what ta think about him. I’m pretty sure Genji wants us to give him a chance, but it’s hard not to hold a grudge. I mean, it’s quite a feat to kill your own kin.” Even though the cowboy had to admit that the archer was pleasant to the eye. Fareeha nodded in understanding. She was well aware that Angela and he were quite close to Genji, even when said ninja was miserable most of the time. They lapsed into silence again until Fareeha stood up. “Well, I’m going to talk to the others for now, if you don’t mind.” She raised an eyebrow at him to dare him to object. He simply waved her off. “ ‘m fine. Probably going to help out whoever is cooking today.” His friend nodded and left the room.

Sighing softly, the cowboy laid around for another few minutes before standing up and heading towards the kitchen. He didn’t expect Genji and his brother to be there. It seemed like he interrupted a conversation. “Oh, sorry. Thought you’d still be busy with Angie and her fussin’.” Genji chuckled softly, his robotic voice spreading a sense of familiarity through his chest. The archer frowned slightly, clearly studying him. When an eyebrow was raised, it was clear that the elder Shimada detected his belt buckle. Despite only getting it in his younger years to spite Commander Morrison and Commander Reyes, he grew too fond of it to use a normal belt buckle.

“Angela let my brother go quite quickly as he cooperated.” He felt Genji’s eyes trail to his nose. “Unlike some people. How did you manage to land yourself in the med bay anyway? She seemed really irritated with you. And here I thought she gave you special treatment since you both have known each other for a long time.” For a moment, Jesse swore he heard envy in his friend’s voice. Neither he nor Genji were known for following their doctor’s orders and yet Jesse managed to get away without too rough treatment. “Ah you see… I was a bit clumsy an’ managed ta get some lead inta me…” The ninja would have given him a deadpan stare, if he wasn’t wearing his visor. Clearing his throat, the cowboy quickly changed the topic. “Anyhow, I was about to start cooking. So you just may continue ya’ conversation in the mess hall or somethin’.” He quickly moved to the cupboards and shelves, getting out the necessary utensils to prepare the ingredients.

“It is no trouble, cowman. We were finished with our conversation either way. I bid you farewell.” Jesse stared after Hanzo, disbelieving. Did the archer seriously just called him cowman? “Brother wait—“ Genji called after Hanzo, but he was already gone. Sighing, the cyborg sat in one of the chairs in the kitchen. “I must apologize for my brother, Jesse. It is hard for him to adapt to being surrounded by allies and not passing acquaintances.” The gunslinger however simply shook his head in disbelief. “It’s okay, I guess. ‘s not like I expected ‘im to be best friends with us immediately.” He saw Genji nod in the corner of his eyes before he turned back to cut some meat into pieces.

“He is still deeply troubled by his past. I just hope he opens up to at least someone soon.” Genji trailed off for a moment as if lost in thought before he continued. “And I hope our teams give him a second chance just like I have done. After all, most of us have a past we are not entirely fond of.” Genji gave him a pointed stare. He could practically feel it. Jesse ducked his head slightly, his neck flushing a little in embarrassment. The ninja heaved another sigh before standing. “Well, I suppose I’ll start showing around my master. I have left him long enough in Winston’s clutches. See you at dinner.”

He was left alone once again. For a moment, his body went on auto-pilot as he was getting lost in thought. Genji was right. Maybe he should put his earlier judgments aside and try to approach Hanzo neutrally. He seems like a competent marksman and certainly a powerful ally, if those dragon tattoos were an indicator on what rests within the archer’s soul. He will certainly try to speak at dinner with the archer, invite him to train together and most likely apologize for speaking badly of him even before the gunslinger knew him well enough to judge. There was only one problem to his plans. Hanzo never showed up for dinner.


End file.
